


The Road Not Taken

by scifisentai



Category: Power Rangers S.P.D.
Genre: Alternate Ending, Episode Tag, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-27
Updated: 2017-02-27
Packaged: 2018-09-27 07:10:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9982277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scifisentai/pseuds/scifisentai
Summary: Alternate end to 'Idol'.





	

Jack paced the infirmary impatiently. He hated waiting and right now it was all he could do. He tugged his eyes away from the still form of Commander Cruger, hands clenching at his sides. He’d screwed up and Cruger was paying the price for it. He should have insisted on Dru’s re-evaluation sooner instead of letting him wander around the base, Sky in tow. But no, he’d trusted Sky’s judgement, not expecting the blue ranger’s judgement to be so off concerning his alleged best friend.

And when it came to that, why wasn’t Sky back yet? It couldn’t take that long to track down a criminal inside the Delta base, so what was going on? His stomach clenched tightly at the thought that maybe Sky couldn’t handle this one on his own. How did you go up against your best friend? The more he thought about it, the more the alarm bells went off inside his head. Something was wrong and he wished the Commander would wake up already so he could go and find out what.

***

“Dru, what was that?” Sky demanded, the alien body shimmering back into that of his best friend, the friend who was so much more.

“My true Tangarian body,” Dru said easily. “Even best friends have secrets.”

“Why Cruger?”

Dru shrugged. “Price was right. Grow up Sky! You’ve always been so naïve, thinking being a ranger is everything.”

“We both did, Dru.”

“And I was wrong. My eyes have been opened, Sky, and I can do the same for you.”

“I don’t need my eyes opening,” Sky replied tartly, tightening his grip on his blaster reflexively, not taking his eyes off Dru. 

“Come on Sky,” Dru said softly. “You don’t belong here, no matter how much you think you do.”

“What are you talking about?” he demanded sharply. “SPD is my life, always has been.”

“But they don’t trust you,” Dru pointed out. “Think about it, Sky. You were supposed to be the red ranger when B Squad became active, everyone knew that. So how come you’re in the blue uniform and that Jack guy’s in red?”

Sky’s gut twisted sharply, blaster lowering slightly, pointing more at the floor. “It was Cruger’s decision,” he said sharply. “He had his reasons.” Although what they were he had no idea. It still hurt, waking up every morning to the _blue_ uniform.

“He doesn’t trust you, that’s why,” Dru said. “And the others? They don’t know you, Sky, not like I do.” Dru smiled, spreading his arms out. “Who else knows you like I do?”

_No one._ No one had ever known him like Dru did, not even Bridge. 

And no one ever would.

“You want somewhere to belong, Sky, but you won’t find it here, not anymore. Maybe you would have once, but not anymore.”

“SPD is my life,” he repeated, raising the blaster once more, fighting against the confusion and the hurt that had never really gone away, no matter how much he told himself it had.

“But you can be so much more, Sky. Don’t let Cruger turn you into something you’ll regret for the rest of your life.”

***

Jack ran through the corridors of the base, praying he wouldn’t be too late. The signal from Sky's morpher was constant and that couldn’t be a good sign; it meant he wasn’t moving. 

To his surprise, and not a little relief, Sky was still on his feet. Not so encouraging was the fact that his blaster was held loosely in his hands, not aimed at the scumbag that had put Cruger in the infirmary.

“Sky,” he called. “You okay?”

Sky nodded vaguely. “Yeah.”

“You think he cares?” Dru interjected. “You know people like him only care about themselves.”

“Takes one to know one,” Jack shot back. “Sky, what crap’s he been feeding you?”

“Only the truth,” Dru interjected smoothly. “Sky knows I wouldn’t lie to him.”

“Bull,” Jack snorted. “You’re lying to him right now.”

“He can’t lie to me,” Sky said quietly. “The bracelets make that impossible.”

“Dru tell you that?” Jack asked sharply, fear and tension leaving him wound more tightly than he had been in a while. “You believed him?”

“No reason not to,” Sky snapped back.

“Sky, just once, listen to me. He’s playing you, man. Don’t let him.” 

“Why would I do that?” Dru asked. “You have no idea how close we are. I’d no more manipulate him than this planet would stop spinning.”

Damn, but the guy was smooth, Jack thought in frustration. He could see Sky wavering and he had no idea what to say to turn things around. What was wrong with Sky that he’d believe all this crap?

“Sky, you don’t belong here,” Dru continued. “We both know it. Why stay when there’s no one here who needs you?”

_Shit!_ “Sky, we _do_ need you,” Jack countered. “Team of five’s no good if there’s only four.”

At some point Sky had lowered his blaster and now it hung loose, pointing at the floor. Sky’s free hand hovered over his morpher and Jack could feel his heart hammering in his chest as he waited, waiting to see which way this would go. Damn, he should have brought Bridge or Syd with him, maybe they’d have more of a chance getting through to Sky than he did; they weren’t exactly friends, after all.

“Sky,” Dru said softly, holding out a hand to the blue ranger. “Come with me. We can find somewhere to belong, just the two of us.”

_Shit, shit, shit,_ Jack cursed. So that’s how it was. How had he missed it? “Sky, don’t let him manipulate you. You’re stronger than that.” _I hope._

Sky looked at him, a gaze that seemed to stretch forever, then looked back at Dru. He pulled his morpher out of its holder and stared at it.

Then he let it drop to the floor.

Jack stared at it in disbelief. No, no, no, this wasn’t happening. Sky wouldn’t give up being a ranger, not after all the grief he’d given Jack about being denied the red ranger powers, he just _wouldn’t._ He raised his eyes to Sky’s, knowing his disbelief must be etched on his face. “Sky,” he whispered but Sky looked away, all the anguish suddenly hidden as he reached out to take the hand Dru still held out to him. “Sky, _don’t,_ ” he tried. “Come on, man, this isn’t you.”

“How would you know?” Sky asked. “You don’t know me.”

“He’s made his choice, Jack,” Dru said, with a smug smile on his face. “And he didn’t choose you. Deal with it.”

Digging something out of a pocket, Dru held it up so Jack could see: a remote of some kind. Fingers holding tightly onto Sky’s, Dru pressed the single button and he and Sky vanished in a blur of light that blinded him, forcing Jack to shield his eyes. When he could see again, Jack lowered his arm and stared at the empty lobby where Sky had just been standing. Forcing himself to move he made his way over to where Sky’s morpher was lying, discarded on the floor.

Dropping to his knees, Jack stared at it; his throat tight and his eyes burning.

This couldn’t be happening.


End file.
